HitchHiking Across The Infinite

I'm back!

2009-01-26T07:25:00.003+05:30

Hey everyone. I know I haven't blogged in a while, actually, in almost 2 years now. I don't know why, but somehow I never had anything to write about. Its not that nothing "happened" in my life - oh no, LOADS of things have happened, and are happening as a matter of fact. Its just that, somehow, I was never motivated enough to actually log on and write things.

So, as this new year begins, I've decided to become an active member of the blogging community once again. I know, I don't write particularly insightful stuff, and I'm pretty sure not too many people read this too. But I've decided to write, and it would be great if you reciprocated by reading.

As an update, I'm not a school student anymore - I've finally made the transition to college. And to another country, the US of A. Obviously, a lot has happened since my last post, but I'm not going to bore you with the details - only the most legendary tales shall be told :)

So, here's to a new beginning!

An ode to someone

2008-04-14T10:07:00.005+05:30

She keeps her secrets
In her eyes
She wraps the truth
Inside her lies
Just when I can't say
What she's done to me
She comes to me
And leads me back to paradise

She's so hard to hold
But I can't let go

I'm a house of cards
in a hurricane
A reckless ride
In the pouring rain
She cuts me and the pain
Is all I wanna feel
She'll dance away just like a child
She drives me crazy
Drives me wild
But I'm helpless when she smiles
Maybe I'd fight if I could
It hurts so bad
But feels so good
She opens up just like
A rose to me
When she's close to me
Anything she'd ask me to
I would

It's out of control
But I can't let go

When she looks at me
I get so weak

The Race of Life

2008-01-15T20:23:00.000+05:30

I often feel like I have been running my whole life. To me, running is more than the mere indulgence of competitive whims. The steady stride of a long distance runner and the explosive speed of a sprinter vaulting from the blocks are metaphors for life. We are born with the world an open track before us, the starter’s gun unleashing its deafening sound long before our senses perceive it.

Like runners toeing the line, we all choose our own path, whether to take this turn or that, and whether to pass the opposition or simply coast and fall back. Some of us run further; others run faster. The race of the long-distance runner is often lonely, his steady gait unrelenting and his pace even. He endures long trials and has many visions, following a steady path as his endurance is tested. In contrast, the dashing sprinter barrels forth and cuts through life with swiftness and vigor.

We all confront the same hills to climb and descend; life can seem an impossible ascent or a bounding plunge as we run steadily along. We slip and falter, a sprain here or a fracture there. Some will be tested, limping forward until time slowly heals our injuries. Others will find a partner to keep our stride and help maintain the pace. A few will always run well, leading the pack of eager followers. Others may struggle, never seeming to catch their breath as they promise to run better tomorrow.

We all run against the clock, hoping to finish the course long before time is called. Some stop long before they reach the finish line, giving in to the race’s pressures on both body and mind. We run against each other, striving to beat our fellow runners. We also run against ourselves, pushing our limits so that those whose race has not yet begun will remember our feats with awe and pride.

I have not always known the right path, missing turns and struggling through stretches. At times I have run off the path, losing my focus and seeing the race as a means to an end. I have struggled up many hills and careened down many others. I have faced injuries and lost fellow runners. However, through it all I have learned from the race and found the determination not to repeat my mistakes. I have run the race both fast and slow, taking in the view along the route and the emotions of the running.

I now believe that the race of life can be examined in retrospect, but that you must always keep running towards the finish line. Sure, success in this race is important, but the experience itself is a gift. I believe that you must run a race worth running, for as running legend Steve Prefontaine said, “to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” If the race is run with heart and passion, then the finish will be victorious.

Wii will rock you!

2007-07-26T21:52:00.000+05:30

The years 2007. Computers have become FAST. And game consoles couldn't be too far behind, could they? This was something the Big 3 have noticed too. And in the rush to get their consoles ready for Christmas '06, some of them managed to build winners. Of course, their global launch has happened only a few months back. But nonetheless, most folks were talking about Microsoft's XBox 360™ or Sony's PlayStation 3™. But Nintendo seems to have won this round, with it's wildly popular Wii™. Launched around the same time as the XBox 360™, it wasn't expected to make much of a dent in Microsoft's console market, because, face it. The XBox was faster and had higher specs that the Wii, which, on the other hand, shared it's specs with the older generation XBox. But Nintendo seems to have targeted a different market with it's Wii.

To compete with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo has re-invented videogaming, making it more social, more intuitive and surprisingly physically engaging. The Wii is indeed revolutionary, and it's potentially the device that will make videogaming as widely enjoyed as board or card games.The feature that sets the Wii apart from both its competitors and its ancestors is the Wii remote, the device's control pad. Instead of a bulky, button-studded joystick, Nintendo has produced a slim wand that looks like a television remote control. It's connected to the console wirelessly, and more important, it's equipped with an innovative motion sensor that detects movement and rotation in three dimensions.

In other words, the Wii remote allows users to get up, move around the room and become part of the game. If you want your character on the screen to swing his sword, you wield the remote and make the thrusts and parries yourself. In a game of baseball, you hold the remote like a bat, and swing for the stands when you want your virtual player to do the same.

By giving players the ability to physically interact with a virtual world, Nintendo has significantly changed the experience of videogaming. It's suddenly more immersive, more compelling and potentially more appealing to consumers who have never considered buying a videogame console before.There's no sequence of arcane button combinations required to throw a baseball: You just wind up and mime an actual throw. Suddenly, videogames are fun for everyone--old or young, male or female, regardless of prior gaming experience.

Now here's something. Sony's and Microsoft's consoles cost $500/$600 and $300/$400 respectively. Compare that to the Wii's $250 price tag, and Nintendo's already got a leg up in the upcoming console war. By concentrating on innovating through game play, and ignoring its competitors' most high-tech features--super-powered processors, support for high-definition televisions and DVD formats--Nintendo has not only been able to keep its costs down, but it's hit upon the single thing that sets apart an entertainment device most: It's fun.

Honey, I Shrunk the PC!

2007-07-19T22:15:00.000+05:30

PCs come in all shapes and sizes. The larger they are, the more performance they tend to offer, and that's the metric that drives a market still ruled by Moore's law and its myriad derivatives. There's a certain appeal to small systems, however -- especially if you go the DIY route, proving once again that even if small can't quite run World of Warcraft, it sure can be beautiful.

Picotux doesn't do sexy. Picotux doesn't do games. Picotux doesn't do much of anything. What picotux does do is be a truly minuscule computer, not much larger than the ethernet jack that brackets it. An inch long and only 19 mm wide and deep, the ARM-powered little winder has 8 MB of RAM, 100 Mbit ethernet and a 55-MHz CPU. It runs uClinux and makes a wonderful web server.

Take a look at it's tech specs here.
Or visit it's makers here.

So you want to be an engineer..

2007-06-15T21:37:00.000+05:30

So you're done with 12th grade, and school in general. And now, you're at the threshold. Neither here, nor there. You're not a school kid anymore. So you have to make your choices for yourself. Not your teachers. Not your parents. YOU.

It's a bit hard to comprehend all the choices out there. I mean, after all, the world is a pretty big place right? With over a billion people in our nation alone, and each one following a different career path, how do you know which one's the best for you?
There are a few ways to decide, I've discovered. One - you listen to your parents/teachers and do what they think is best. But that's not very interesting, and definitely not highly recommended. What if they want you to become a doctor, and you can't even stand the sight of blood??! The other way, is to choose for yourself what you want to do, and what you want to become. It IS rather hard, but I believe we've seen and done enough to figure out exactly what we're good at!

As a kid, I'd fallen in love with computers, and today, computer science is the subject that I'm best at in school. So for me, the choice was pretty much straight-forward. Computer Science and Engineering. But then there was this big question I had.. what exactly is "Engineering"? So I did some research..
"Engineering is the professional art of applying science to the optimum conversion of natural resources to the benefit of man."
- Ralph J. Smith , Stanford University

The quote above sums it all. Engineering is about the innovative and creative application of mathematical and scientific principles to the creation of products, technology and services for the good of mankind.
Engineering touches almost every aspect of our lives and is at the heart of contemporary life. The dramatic changes of the last century, and even the last decade, are the direct result of engineering.

Engineers are not only at the forefront of making new scientific and technological discoveries, but also actively involved in turning that knowledge into something practical and valued. Everything that is made results from the expertise of engineers; from expressways to the information superhighway, from video phones to digital television, from automobiles to spacecraft and the list goes on and on.

Engineers make a significant contribution to creating wealth in a country. Many successful economies have a high number of engineers. Engineering offers more career options than any other discipline. Engineers are able to pursue a wide spectrum of careers in both the private sector and in government, and in fields as diverse as financial services, logistics, and the biomedical sciences. Engineers may be designers, planners, managers, analysts, researchers, consultants, sales specialists, and much more. Engineering is a distinguished profession and engineers have helped to transform our world with many technological innovations.

That pretty much sums up what I've learnt about Engineering. And thus far, it seems to be pretty interesting.. VERY interesting as a matter of fact! Now, I only need to find out more about Computer Science!

Schizophrenic Celebrities

2007-06-14T11:17:00.000+05:30

I'm sure you've watched the news this week (or even last week). That's all I can do, since those are the ONLY channels I subscribe to. But the past two weeks have been pretty hard for us news-watchers. Paris Hilton is the biggest celebrity on the news these days, on the international bulletins of all Indian news channels, and, surprisingly, even on BBC! For what you ask? Well. She was arrested. For drunken driving, or whatever the offence is. Till last night, I could even quote the exact section under which she was charged. Then ofcourse, there were discussions on whether it was "fair" or not. Hell. She's just another person. She's not someone GREAT. If we were having this discussion about someone who'd actually achieved something (Bill Gates/Sergey Brin/Steve Jobs top my list) I wouldn't mind watching the news.. but HER? Someone's whose sole claim to fame is a disgusting home "video" and a fancy surname? I think not. But I just came across this interesting question on Ask Yahoo!. I'm sure you're gonna be wanting to ask the same thing.

Dear Yahoo!,
Did Paris Hilton finish High School?
Yvonne
Louisville, Kentucky

Paris Hilton is known as many things. "Scholar" isn't one of them. Still, while nobody would confuse the heiress with a rocket scientist or brain surgeon, she did manage to graduate high school -- in a way.

According to several sources, Hilton attended The Dwight School in New York City, but didn't stick around long enough to wear a cap and gown. However, Ms. Hilton later earned her general equivalency diploma (GED) after some homeschooling. Passing the test certifies the taker has academic skills on par with a typical high-school graduate. Connect the dots and you'll realize that, according to our educational system, Paris possesses the intelligence of an average American high-school graduate. Whether that's merely terrifying or a sign of the coming apocalypse, we leave to you.

But maybe we're being too hard on the starlet. After all, by nearly anyone's definition, Paris is a successful person. Granted, she's currently in jail and has been publicly humiliated more times than we can count, but she's a genius at marketing herself and continually places among Yahoo!'s most popular searches. Maybe she ought to teach a course.

That's saying something isn't it?

First Love ...

2007-06-12T08:31:00.000+05:30

To someone who did all this to me, and much more..

I ne'er was struck before that hour
With love so sudden and so sweet.
Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower
And stole my heart away complete.

My face turned pale, a deadly pale.
My legs refused to walk away,
And when she looked what could I ail
My life and all seemed turned to clay.

And then my blood rushed to my face
And took my eyesight quite away.
The trees and bushes round the place
Seemed midnight at noonday.

I could not see a single thing,
Words from my eyes did start.
They spoke as chords do from the string,
And blood burnt round my heart.

Are flowers the winter's choice
Is love's bed always snow
She seemed to hear my silent voice
Not love appeals to know.

I’ve never seen such sweet a face
As that I stood before
My heart has left its dwelling place
And can return no more.

Thanks, Arun !

We Started The Fire !

2007-05-06T19:25:00.000+05:30

Yup ! You got that right ! We're the CVians Class of 2007 and we've DEFINITELY left an indelible mark on this school of ours.. Our exploits aren't just limited to our school, we've made ourselves popular in almost EVERY city school, and for all that, we could probably claim to be the most rocking batch of CVians EVER !

Here are our **ahem** exploits, in no particular order..

Our amazing Computer Exam results, thanks to kind souls like Balli who've vowed to never EVER pass, and to give Sekar the hardest time ever possible !
Our eagerness to learn Chemistry through practical experiments (in the toilets) .. Sodium + Water --> HEAT + EXPLOSION...
Class 11B , tubelight starters, an absolute mockery of 'modern' electrical fittings.. need I say more ?
MOST number of lovesick people frequenting every empty and non-empty classroom/corridor/restaurant
Commerce Class Math results.. 21 failed out of 28..
Ganga winning the Annual Sports Championship !
Winning the maximum number of Culturals, INCLUDING Reverbs and Orca
The best school band in the city perhaps..
The Punchline Gurus..
The greatest basketball team ever, lead by the ever-famous Gopi
The way we've revolutionised the system of exams and revealed our ingenuity - through our grades
The way we attack food (courtesy Hrushita and Krithika Surya), like we've never seen food before
Ragging the shit out of Kanti and Valsi, our 'beloved' english teachers..
Changing the fortunes of the erstwhile Cafe Coffee Day and the still existent and ever-famous GLB
Ofcourse, the war-cry, GoPiii GoPiii GoPii (pun intended)
Driving a Physics Teacher OUT of school in her very first year (Lakshmi... )
Sameer's Class, AV room...
Making Srilatha sniff and cry at her fate of teaching this batch
Satyamurty Sir + Venkatraman + 12 B.... need I say more ?
The recently constructed jail-like enclosures on the staircase, and the additional bars on the main gate.. all because of us jumping over and slithering thru the gate..
And lastly, the 'pregnancy' case... They TOTALLY suspect our batch for it!

I guess we got quite a lot done in two years, didn't we ? lol

Why I'm Bad at Math

2007-04-14T12:11:00.000+05:30

While lying on my back to make
an angel in the snow,
I saw a greenish craft appear!
a giant UFO!

A strange, unearthly hum it made! It hovered overhead!
And aliens were moving 'round in viewing ports glowing red!

I tried to run for cover, but a hook that they had lowered
Snagged me by my overcoat and hoisted me aboard!

Even then, I tried to fight, and though they numbered many,
I poked them in their compound eyes and pulled on their antennae!

It was no use! They dragged me to a platform, tied me up,
And wired to my cranium a fiendish suction cup!

They turned it on and current coursed across my cerebellum,
Coaxing things from my brain tissue, the things I wouldn't tell 'em!

All the math I ever learned,
the numbers and equations,
Were mechanically removed in this brain-draining operation!

My escape was an adventure.
(I won't tell you what I did.)
But suffice to say, I cannot add, so ask some other kid.

inspired by the actions of my hero

Thank you for the fun !

2007-03-07T20:18:00.000+05:30

Well! We've finally come to the end, and I mean THE END of school life! (ok, I've made the obvious assumption that none of us are going to have the pleasure of writing the compartment exam). Truth be told, it's not such an exciting prospect - I don't know how I'm going to get used to the fact that I don't have to get up at 6 am anymore, that I don't need to polish my shoes a blinding white every morning, that I don't have to drive down Taylor's Road at 8.05am each morning come rain or RAIN, that I don't have to even dream of Princi... That's going to take a lot of getting-used to acdjually !

I still can't believe that 9 years have flown past so smoothly and so so very quickly.. it seems like just yesterday, when I was offered admission in Chinmaya Kilpauk and Anna Nagar as well as Chettinad.. The decision to make Taylor's Road my home away from home for the next 9 years, at that time, seemed pretty insignificant - after all, it was just another school for me. It didn't boast of a swimming pool, or a huge football field or even a canteen, which made me wonder what kind of a school it would turn out to be. All I can say now is that THANK GOD I didn't choose to join any other school ! I can't imagine myself having all the fun that I've had in this school in any other institution.. nowhere else! Of course, coming from a convent, the bhagwad-gita chanting took a little getting-used to.

Moreover, the past 9 years, more specifically, the last 3 years have been some of the most memorable years of my life thus far. I will always remember school for all the wonderful people I've met, and the good times that I've had with them. True, the picture isn't all rosy. I might not be all that popular, and I'm generally at the butt-end of most jokes, some of them pretty hurting ones. But I guess all that's part of school life...

I've learnt much more here, not just science and math. I've learnt how to make new friends, learnt new skills, and basically had a great time!Infact, I even became House Leader, and got to lead my house to victory for the first time in 18 years!!!

I mean, the number of wacky things we've done as a batch - the chants of go-pee-e-e-e, the starters and the sodium, the trips to ccd and glb(our friendly neighbourhood bakery), all our jaunts at the various culturals, the fun we have in sekar's class, satya and his pats on the back, our brilliant marks throughout the year - I could go on and on ! I guess the best way to sum all this up is by watching Tariq's brilliant video

I guess I've spent by far the most memorable moments of my life in this place called school.. it's a place unlike any other, and only because of all of you - quirky, fun-loving, crazy, mischevious, jumpy, blabbery, talented - basically just a bunch of oddballs!

The past few years, spent 'studying', working, competing, playing, eating - blabbering.. man, all these things had such a charm of their own! It's always put a BIIIIG smile on my face and these memories.. *sigh*.. will always stay with me forever... like BowlingForSoup says, "High School Never Ends!"

I'd like to say a BIIIIGGG thank you to each one of you who have made this journey unique and truly memorable!

to pritish, for being my best buddy, for sticking by me always, for all the yummy things I've eaten at your place, for all the movies you've lent me... I could go ON and ON..

to barath, for showing me how to be a nerd and still have fun, for the times you've lent me your camera, and for all the p2p sharing..

to harsha, for being a great friend, and for making life interesting in the 12th. period.

to kika, for EVERYTHING. this includes last month's tuition test answers, all the juicy stories, keeping me entertained on sms.. etc etc etc..

to hrushita, for the brilliant food, for being a great pal, for always being there to talk about 'someone'.. and for being one of my first girl-friends in 4th grade (@mom and dad: notice the hyphen.. it changes the meaning!)

to priya, for the endless taunts and retorts.. lol..

to venkat, for those funny convos we used to have in IIT class ( remember Peter and Driver?? )

to vk, for, well, all the doubts [;)]

to adi nair, for always being at hand to put a big smile on my face

to govind, for all the spirituality and vedanta...

to bishen, for making me a TULIP.. lol

to tariq, for, well, just being tariqueee.. lol.. and for sparking my interests in photography and blogging... for the brilliant video, for being a great pal, for putting a smile on my face during valsi's classes...

to kriti, for showing me that even DAV girls aren't all nerds...

to srishti, for showing me how to be carefree.. ABSOLUTELY carefree.. adds a new dimension to the phrase 'no worries'..

to arun, for all the 'help', and for lending me your phone when it was needed...

to viswesh, for being my buddy in the first bench of chem tuitions!

to LN, for those prizes at Reverbs and that iconic photograph.... a BIG thank you man!

to swati, for bringing out the photographer in me...

to sneha, for being the ONLY faithful person who replies to my SMSs at the weirdest possible hours!

to arCHANA, for the lunch, the 'looks', sitting next to and thus isolating me from ms.living dead in rahim's tut..

to sunaina, for being a great foul-weather friend among much else...

to shreya, for being a great co-house leader, and a great person to match wits with... really! :)

YOU'VE GOTTA LEAVE A COMMENT AFTER READING THIS!!!

If you're name isn't here, it's not because I'm not thankful, there are just SO many people to thank, that I still haven't gotten to typing it all out, so it'll feature here in just a bit!!

- - De Protonated ! - -

2007-02-23T12:49:00.000+05:30

Chill out, hydrogen chloride:
You're on the acidic side,
You can turn blue litmus paper red,
So it’s said;
With base, you can neutralise,
Water makes you ionise
’Cos you lose a hydrogen ion
And you become
Cl^- and H₃O⁺
Your pH is low, ‘cos in H₂O
You deprotonate - H⁺ you donate, you see…
Tell me,
Why d'you have to go and get so deprotonated?
I see the way you're
Split into your ions and you're fully dissociated,
You're low pH and
It's because your H⁺ you donate to a base, and you're great as a proton donor -

You're a strong acid 'cos your H⁺ is so concentrated...oh, oh

When you become aqueous,
You're then all plus and minus -
The reaction goes to completion;
In solution,
Water's weakly basic, so
That's where all your protons go:
They join to make hydroxonium
And you become

Cl^- and H₃O⁺
Your pH is low, ‘cos in H₂O
You deprotonate - H⁺ you donate, you see…
Tell me,
Why d'you have to go and get so deprotonated?
I see the way you're
Split into your ions and you're fully dissociated,
You're low pH and
It's because your H⁺ you donate to a base, and you're great as a proton donor -

You're a strong acid 'cos your H⁺ is so concentrated...oh, oh, oh…

Chill out, hydrogen chloride:
You've been completely ionised,
And by your conjugate acid and base
You’ve been replaced:
Cl^- and H₃O⁺
Your pH is low, ‘cos in H₂O
You deprotonate - H⁺ you donate, you see…
Tell me,
Why d'you have to go and get so deprotonated?
I see the way you're
Split into your ions and you're fully dissociated,
You're low pH and
It's because your H⁺ you donate to a base, and you're great as a proton donor -

You're a strong acid 'cos your H⁺ is so concentrated...oh, oh…

Dust Is My Bed

2007-02-17T20:16:00.000+05:30

I came across this brilliant, and I mean BRILLIANT Arabic video, titled "Dust is my bed" on YouTube. I don't know what it is about this video - perhaps the story, which is so real and believable, or the soundtrack, which absolutely rocks. Any which way, it all works perfectly !

Take a look below !

Creative Advertising, Indian Style ! (part 2)

2007-02-03T20:46:00.000+05:30

And here are some of the best currently on tv..

Take a look !

Happydent White (this one is the BEST !!)

SBI's Chimanlal Charlie Campaign

Indian Steel Alliance

Naukri.com's Hari Saddu... brilliant !

Hutch, featuring Cheeka the pug

Airtel's thought-provoking 'Express Yourself' campaign

There are SO many more brilliant ads out there! Watch this space for more!
and do tell me which ones you liked the best!

Creative Advertising, Indian Style ! (part 1)

2007-02-03T20:45:00.000+05:30

Indian advertising has come a LONG way, and I mean a LOO-OOONG way. I still remember the times when ads simply had a person stating why you should buy his product (apart from the fact that his product was the ONLY one of its kind availaible, because the choice was that bad), to ads with house-wives lecturing crowds in parking lots (Meswak Toothpaste), to pesky irritatingly sweet kids selling toothpaste/detergent/**add any product here**. But now, there are a HOST of interesting ads on Indian television. Creative and thought-provoking, they're tounge-in-cheek as well, but they get the message across better than anything else I've ever seen!

In fact, now ads have good music, brilliant screen-play and most importantly, an amazing storyline as well!

Here's a collection of memorable ads, starting with some of the oldest ones..

Amul - The Taste Of India

Hamara Bajaj

Airtel

Hyundai Accent

These are some of the older ones.. you can almost feel the way they're evolving..

Watch out for part 2, with some of the best ads currently on tv!

PLAY B3YOND™ !

2007-02-02T12:17:00.000+05:30

The ultimate console is finally FINALLY here ! The all new ultra-slick Sony PS3 has finally been launched (ok, this post is a little late I know), but the best part is, it's now available 'unofficially' in Ritchie Street !

So what's so cool about this console, because after all, Microsoft's XBOX 360 was launched with equal fanfare a few months before Sony's console. Well, for starters, it comes with the latest Cell Broadband Engine™, the very thing that game developers have always dreamt about. Its unique multi-processing unit design represents a tour de force in parallel processing. The ability to do more of everything at the same time means more enemies, more AI, more explosions, and more realistic game play. Game play that takes into account ragdoll physics and keyframe animation, enemy AI behaving unpredictably, glass cracking based on the size of the object that impacted it, and individual flecks of dust in a beam of sunlight to create a more believable experience. The Cell Broadband Engine has the muscle and horsepower to move beyond artificial intelligence. This is the power that is the digital soul of the PS3. It's breakthrough architectural design features a main Power Processing Element (PPE) and up to eight Synergistic Processing Elements (SPE). It also comes with a SIXAXIS™ controller, with motion-sensing technology that links with the console via Bluetooth.

Moreover, it also is a Blu-Ray player, so it's not just HDMI gaming - even the latest flicks can be watched in high definition !

I guess this proves a point - nothing comes close to Sony technology ! Totally worth the $600 they're charging for it !

A College Story...

2007-01-28T12:55:00.000+05:30

Applying to colleges has just about gotten over for me because American Universities iare the only colleges that I've applied to until now; Indian colleges hold their entrance exams during March and April. So, basically applying to MIT, Stanford, Cornell, Columbia and Penn has been like a kick in the backside to tell me GET GOING!!!

Many people dread filling out college applications (it's all over the MIT blogs btw), but I looked at it as an opportunity to get to know myself better. Perhaps, filling out those applications would allow me to look deep inside my being and discover who I truly am. Well, I approached my application to all the Universities with this deep philosophical outlook and soon enough, I realized that I was completely wrong. Really really wrong. Like, imagine somebody who is as wrong as they could possibly be. That was me, only more wrong. This is not to say that my college application process wasn't educational, it just had nothing to do with learning about who I truly am. Allow me to share some of the things I did learn though! Maybe you learned some of these?

I now know how many hours are in a week and how many weeks are in a year (and how many seconds it takes for a PDF file to open on FireFox vis-a-vis IE)
I learned how big 5'x18' ( or whatever the measurement is) envelopes REALLY are
I know how long 500 words looks on paper
I learned where both of my parents went to college, what their degrees were, and when they graduated
I know my SAT scores by heart
I learned that you can type as much as you want on the online application as long as you don't mind reading the preview app with a magnifying glass
The Common App really is as scary as they say it is
I now remember what competitions I took part in , what I won in them, and whether they were honors or not.
I became proficient at downloading and reading PDFs.
I know everybody on the admissions committee on a first name basis, but I haven't actually met them.
How DHL actually takes packages and delivers them, and how I can track their progress (and even find out if the driver stopped off for a cup of coffee while delivering my apps!)

Perhaps you learned all, or none of these things (I'm assuming YOU applied to a college as well right?). Perhaps your college application process was completely different than mine. All I know is that I know a bunch of stuff now that I never thought I'd ever need to know, and I imagine attending college will be a similar experience. Go into it expecting one thing and come out with something completely different.

Right now, though, it's all about unevenly bitten fingernails, stained coffee mugs left all over the house while studying at unearthly hours, extra stationary envelopes, gluesticks, correction pens - to mail applications jussssssssst before the deadline and remembering to breathe every once in a while. I've had nightmares about turning up late for my SATs, public rejections from colleges made super-embarrassing, not getting admitted anywhere, etc. My application has been the only thing on my mind for the past two months or so - and what makes it scarier is how badly you want to get in but knowing everybody else wants it just as badly and is just as good... phew!!!

But it's also nice in some ways 'cause you realize you're taking your life into your own hands - deciding what you want, what you need and how you're going to get it. When you're writing essays about yourself you learn stuff about yourself that you really did not pay attention to before. Hmmm... I'm trying to write more about why it's good... but... er... uh... until I get in anywhere, that's all I can manage. :)

But perhaps, the most amazing outcome of all this is that I have learnt the true power of this wonder invention called the Internet. I've reviewed and put a browser (FireFox) through it's paces, made new friends on another continent, met their friends, participated in a treasure hunt, used MIT's computer resources, discovered just what all you can do using Yahoo! Messenger/AIM and MUCH MUCH more !

Trust me, this is a process I may not want to particularly go through again, but it's been brilliant while it lasted, and I wouldn't have wanted to do it any other way ! It's been a dream I've always had ever since I was a kid, and perhaps, come March, it will become a dream that was worth chasing !

Everyone likes a math joke !

2007-01-25T11:58:00.000+05:30

Alright, I just thought it would be appropriate to inject some humour in here, so since the math exam is coming up, I thought everyone would like some math jokes ! Some of the more 'incredible' ones I saw on the various MIT blogs, and some of them have been forwarded to me by people at MIT...

Should put a smile on your face for sure !
I love this one !

and now, some one liners (and more liners) that I simply couldn't pass up !

"A biologist, a physicist, and a mathematician were sitting in a street café watching the crowd. Across the street they saw a man and a woman entering a building. Ten minutes later they reappeared together with a third person. “They have multiplied,” said the biologist. “Oh no, an error in measurement,” the physicist sighed. “If exactly one person enters the building now, it will be empty again,” the mathematician concluded."

"If I were an enzyme I'd be DNA helicase so I could unzip your genes." (ok, this is not exactly math)

"A mathematician is someone who thinks that if there are supposed to be three people in a room and five walk out, then two must enter the room in order for it to be empty."

"I Wish I Were Your Derivative So I Could Lie Tangent To Your Curves!"

and probably the best one of them all...

An engineer, a physicist, and a mathematician are trying to set up a fenced-in area for some sheep, but they have a limited amount of building material. The engineer gets up first and makes a square fence with the material, reasoning that it's a pretty good working solution. "No no," says the physicist, "there's a better way." He takes the fence and makes a circular pen, showing how it encompasses the maximum possible space with the given material.

Then the mathematician speaks up: "No, no, there's an even better way." To the others' amusement he proceeds to construct a little tiny fence around himself, then declares:

"I define myself to be on the outside."

....

Two mathematicians are in a restaurant, bemoaning the fact that the general public knows so little about mathematics. One is totally pessimistic, but the other thinks there's some hope.

Eventually the pessimist goes to the bathroom and while he's gone, the optimist brings over the waitress, who's a vacant-eyed blonde (oops! maybe this is a blonde joke). He hands her $10 and says, "When my friend comes back, I'll call you to the table, and I'll ask you a question. Just answer 'log x' and there's another $10 in it for you."

The friend returns, and the guy says, "You know, I think the general public DOES know more math than you think. I'll bet you $100 that the blonde waitress can integrate 1/x." Of course the other guy accepts, the waitress is brought over, and she's asked, "What is the integral of 1/x?"

She answers, "log x", then pauses, and adds, "plus an arbitrary constant."

..... and that concludes a very humorous post.. now, get back to your books... we've got an exam on saturday **whooooopppieeeeee**

P.S. : tell me which ones you liked the best, and why don't you try to come up with some ?

The War of The ... Cars ?

2007-01-21T20:35:00.000+05:30

Hey! The first post of a shiny new year, that promises, among many other things, a profusion of exams for me **yippee!!**

So I decided to liven things here a bit, and the theme is obviously cars, especially since all news channels in India are busy asking viewers to vote/SMS/shout out their picks for the Car/Bike/Bullock-Cart of the Year honour..

Apparently, this frenzy ocurred elsewhere in the world as well, and some ad-makers are having fun as well ! Take a look below (if only car ads here were as good!)

Here's what started it all off..

=) !

IF ...

2006-12-26T09:41:00.000+05:30

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

Stuck in my Heart

2006-12-23T19:03:00.000+05:30

hey ! this is a danish boy-band.. they've got brilliant tracks and their lyrics always have this 'from-the-heart' feel.. this is their first single, Stuck In My Heart.. just found it on YouTube.. hope you like it !

Maria Sharapova n Federer... =)

2006-12-19T07:39:00.000+05:30

Came across this on YouTube.. man , this edited clip ROCKS ! kudos to the person who actually sat n made it.. n the music.. it's perhaps the MOST appropriate track !!

Take a look ...

(psst.. next time ask me for help, roger !)

A New Look

2006-12-16T22:49:00.000+05:30

Hey ! I know this is after a LONG time, but this is in response to some of you who felt my blog was a little sad in the design area. So, this is the new and re-invented blog of mine ! I'm quite proud of the design, now that it's officially out of Beta-Testing. There are a couple of new features that I've added as well - let's see if you can spot them ! More changes promised in the New Year ! And oh yeah, please do keep the comments pouring in.. I really want to know how you like (or god forbid, dislike) this fresh new design !

Impossible is nothing !

2006-11-25T21:55:00.000+05:30

I know the World Cup is over, and yeah, Brazil didn't win.. but what stands out in my mind ( apart from all the wonderful goals.. ) are the Adidas commercials that they aired before and during the matches... they are, if I may say so myself, two of the best commercials I've ever come accross !

I mean, I don't think the message could have been put across in a better way !

Take a look below... ( they've been arranged in chronological story order... )

The first one...

... and the second one

A State of Mind

2006-11-25T21:35:00.000+05:30

If you think you are beaten, you are;

If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you like to win, but think you can’t
Its almost a cinch you won’t

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost;
Far out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will;
Its all in the state of mind

If you think you are out classed, you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself
Before you can win the prize

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

Where I want to be next summer ...

2006-11-18T07:43:00.000+05:30

They say a picture speaks a thousand words.... so let me give you a hint.

yup. you got that right... MIT in Boston , MA.

You want to know why ? Well , there are probably a million zillion reasons , but i'll give you some of the best.

MIT is perhaps , no it IS one of the leading universities in the world , ranked 4th in USNews' latest survey of America's Best Colleges
If MIT graduates formed their own country, it would have the 24th-largest economy in the world.
Over 1.1 million people owe their jobs to a company founded by an MIT grads.
MIT graduates have formed over 4,000 companies, and that number increases by about 150 each year.
It has perhaps THE coolest environment and work-play balance , thanks to insights provided by Bryan's and J Kim's blogs !
its located in one of the prettiest cities I've ever seen ( I've never been to Paris , but what the hell ! )
Some of the companies started by MIT grads ... Bose , Texas Instruments , McDonnel Douglas , Raytheon , Gillette...
And , if you don't believe how much fun it is to study in MIT , here are a collection of "quotes" made by real professors... Thanks J Kim !

Rich gems from my classes (all are split into lectures, big talks by your professor, and recitations, small sessions by your TA):
"Now we have a concentration cell. It sounds like a good place to study for an exam. That's not what it is."

(on someone's research paper from the early 1900s about VSEPR theory) "They've subtracted his signature. Probably so that no one could use his credit card."

"You can't just send an ion through a galvanic cell. Because otherwise, I could put a little charge on myself and run through a wire. Eric --> Eric+ + e-."

"Now we're going to move into drawing VSEPR structures. I was considering using red and blue chalk and give everybody those 3-d glasses.."

"You may want to work it out by another method, but that's not correct..."

"Son of an ellyptic paraboloid!"

"I am probably not telling you the truth.. but this is not the first time."
And , now , the MASTERPIECE.. Which other college in the world would give you an in-class demonstration like this ?? Take a look.. and prepare to be amazed !

So , if you find a university thats more impressive , gimme a call ( although I don't think you ever will.. ). Just so you know , I've applied to MIT this year , and if any of you have a good idea which ensures that I get in , I'm all ears !!

( psst.. they admit 110 out of about 2000 international applicants.. **sob** )

How to foil a UFO abduction ...

2006-10-29T08:08:00.000+05:30

Just couldn't stop laughing after I read this ! Found it somewhere on the MIT website... , in a section titled , rather appropriately , " Worst-Case Scenarios "...

Now you know why I want to get in there ! ** where else can u learn something like this ??! **

1. Control your thoughts. Do not think of anything violent or upsetting - the extraterrestrial biological entity (EBE) may have the ability to read your mind.

2. Resist verbally.
Firmly tell the EBE to leave you alone.

3. Resist mentally.
Picture yourself enveloped in a protective shield of white light, or in a safe place. Telepathic EBEs may get the message.

4. As a last resort, go for the EBE's eyes - you will not know what its other more sensitive areas are.

eee-No-Vaa ???

2006-10-26T20:52:00.000+05:30

Certain people in this world
Are one of a kind
One of them shines above all
For his one of a kind mind
He…sorry…E is the man with a dress code
No normal person would think
That it is fashionable
For most of the time it is pink
He is very creative with his phrases
“Do you know” “you have to write a program”
Becomes “E NO VA” n “E OW TO WRITE A PROGRAaaM”

In short
E is E xtraordinary (in his own peculiar way)
E is E maginative (“what sir…getting 1 mark 2 mark)
E is E nique (his shirt colors can blind u)
E is Sekar …E’s Time is now…

Thank you , Triad Master , for inventing this !

Life In Chinmaya Vidyalaya - Part II - The great years ...

2006-10-22T03:01:00.000+05:30

Hmm.. 4th and 5th grade went off pretty smoothly.. Not too much to remember.. atleast nothing that stands out particularly... except , perhaps for our late math teacher Mrs. Padma , who had promised to "squuuuuuuze you likee an oraaaaaange" ! Not to forget Lalitha Ma'am , a temporary science teacher we had , who used to give us tests left , right and centre !

6th grade was our official entry into 'high school' , which basically meant more homework , and , the worst part , school on saturdays ! on the upside , we were now sitting on the 3rd ( and highest ) floor of the school building , which meant large airy classrooms ! We had been shuffled when we came to the 6th , but Pritish n me were still in the same class !

7th grade , hmm , yeah , something 'interesting' happened then ! Me , candy ( aka Ashwin ) and LD were this 'gang'.. Abhishek Singhal was a part of it too.. n there was this whole 'gang war' thing going on , between us and the rest of the class ! pretty interesting period.. but nothing more to say about it... OH ! I almost forgot ! The four of us had started a new company , named A.D.A.P.T ( Ashwin Daryanani Atul Propeller Technologies ).. "we adapt to your needs".. that was our tagline , and we had invented this whole line up of gadgets , and priced them as well ( too bad no one bought them ! ) AND , the best part of 7th grade , bird-brain's classes ! ( I'm sure you know who I'm talking about ! ). Man , me n LD had SO much fun ragging her ! Everyone was party to it though.. Remember the time when she walked out of class , sat in the corridor and 'corrected' our notebooks ??!?!? And ofcourse , April Fool's Day , when LD fed her bubble gum spiced with chilli powder !! That was a winner of a year !
( ** we were into spying... more later** )

8th grade , probably the best year of my school life ( after 10th ofcourse !! )... we were in this secluded segment of the 3rd floor , with our own 'private-balcony' , so to speak... Since 'propeller-man- Abhishek' had left school , ADAPT folded up , but we came back , with SpyKidz ( well , we were learning HTML , so we thought we could make this website about spying , with tests , n all that ! )... We used to spend ALL our time together , 'designing' this website in one of LD's notebooks , it was SO much fun !! Me n candy had also come up with this line , which we used to say to LD , whenever he showed off too much. It was from one of the English poems... "All you gaudy moths and millers are only dressed up caterpillars"...

9th grade... perahaps , one of the MOST un-eventful years of school... Except that Vidi Ma'am was our class teacher.. ( more on this later ) I remember ABSOLUTELY nothing from this year... so , over and out !

*coming up ... grade 10 !*

Life In Chinmaya Vidyalaya - Part I - The very beginning ...

2006-10-20T09:08:00.000+05:30

I've decided to put down all the memories of my school life , before they fade away ( no chance of that happening any time soon though .. ) , so , before I start , let me remind you that this is my blog , and so , I get to tell the story my way !

It all started on a summer day in 1998. I was getting ready to go to school , in Delhi , when my dad announced that we were moving back to Chennai. Back , because , well , I had done my pre-kg years here , in Chettinad Vidyashram. So , anyway , with that announcement started a series of entrance exams... whose outcomes decided that I was destined to join Chinmaya Vidyalaya on Taylor's Road... I had written exams in CV Anna Nagar and Chettinad too... and looking back , THANK GOD I didn't go to any of those ! Judging by the fact that the entrance exams were the first exams that I had EVER written in my life , they went off pretty well !

Anyway , so my first day of school dawned... ( That is , after a tiny mix-up with my driver , coz I didn't remember the name of the school , so we did some 'navigation-by-visual-landmarks'.. ). The first sight that greeted me , among a sea of brown-and-white , was the assembly , conducted in a language I didn't even know existed ( my mom told me later that it was sanskrit.. GOD ! and to think all other schools did it in english ! ).

I guess Tariq would identify with that ! so after standing through 45 minutes of sanskrit , the new teachers were introduced ( our beloved GGI also joined school this year ) and then Mr. Principal announced " acdjually the newcomers please staaay baack , i have to acdjually allot the classes to the you"... Stunned , I waited patiently , until my name was called out " Athuul Guptaaa... Go to class 4 YAAAA.."

Walking into class , I was greeted by 40 unknown faces , and just one empty chair to sit on... that happened to be next to a guy named Pritish Sai ( don't we know him? lol ! )..
and little did I know that this was the beginning of a better than wonderful friendship ! I was in Raji Suresh Ma'am 's class... she was my first Sanskrit teacher , and thanks to her , I figured what a fun language it was !

The rest of the year breezed through , though there are some memories that stand out :

scoring 100 in the first ever math exam in my life ! ( wooooohoooo !!! )
the whole concept of 'competing-for-marks' with Priya , Hrushita and Priyanka ( wonder why only the girls were "studious"... )
dance periods ( man ! they were SUCH a farce ! )
the concept of c.c.a s - i played the tabla during the first cca of the year
the 2nd language - 3rd language thing...
shraddha dancing during one of the ccas ( LOL ! )
the big excitement towards the end of the year , when we were allowed to write with ink pens ( " no Hero pens please ! " )
sushant's 'helpful' hint - " this is a vegetarian school... no non-veg food allowed !"
the concept of my lunch being delivered to school...
and the best one - bhagvad gita recitation competiton ( and i used to think only poetry recitation competitions existed ... ! )

All said and done , it was a pretty exciting year , during which I made loads of new friends... wrote loads of exams , and basically had a good time ! Little did I know that there were more such years to come !

If at first ...

2006-10-14T00:16:00.000+05:30

Some time back , during the holidays , when I was in Pune , I had a mission ...to see what it was like to get on to a running bus.(I have had suicidal tendencies for a long time). Lame?...well yes but nonetheless I had to feel the adrenaline pump(see the sorta petty rushes this heat has got me down to...shew).

So I was standing at the swanky new bus stops they've made ,waiting for a suitable ...um...subject and there she came in all her smoky ,hazy(blame it on the heat),red rust corroded glory;Truly a behemoth and it was then that the monumental and slightly psychotic nature of my plan struck me.So I waited for 'ol betsy to start off and then ran like the wind ( hindi movie hero style... ) and in one moment of blankness jumped into the void and voila and I was onboard and then I had this nagging little feeling that I was losing balance,toppling over ever so slowly,this absurd thing called gravity you know can be a real pain when it wants.(if only newton had slept under a coconut tree....).

It took me a couple of seconds to get back on my feet after that fall (the bigger they are ...) but in those moments I had some fleeting thoughts of things unsaid and deeds undone.After sushing up my friend (who had tagged along to keep me company , thanks man ) with certain pleas I thought I was incapable of, I realised I needed some work on my ankle. Being superman you cant let all that show(boys donnntt cry...atleast we try not to).

I have fallen off a moving bus and have lived to tell the tale.I am truly honoured.Probably this has something to do with the bus number being 13.Oh and btw...If you know my parents you have not read any of the above.Kids please dont try this at home.

STAUATORY WARNING:Jumping into moving buses(or trying to and not nailing it) is injurious to health.

What does this have to do with the title "If at first..."??? Probably that if at first you dont succeed skydiving ,is NOT for you. Keep smiling and remember Boredom is contagious !

P S , Oh baby , oh baby !!

2006-10-09T07:53:00.000+05:30

Well , this is it ! The ULTIMATE achievement of our batch , winning the PSBB Reverberations 2006 !!

And , on popular demand , here's the performance that's STILL being talked about in almost every school in the city !! A song that was composed 15 minutes before going on stage , by 2 guys who were supposed to be 'elsewhere' , using guitars that didn't belong to them.. talk 'bout an "impromptu" performance !! Picture this... 2 guys , sweaty , sitting cross-legged on stage , performing in a western-music contest titled 'The Battle of the Bands' with a non-exixtent band... lol ! And to think that it has become a cult classic , and is still being hummed in PSBB !

45 Degrees , one of the best performances I've ever seen , dedicated to the CV drummer who was down with chikungunya , and their lead vocalists Priya n Bhargavi , who were stuck in school .... take a look !

The experience , of course , can't be described in words.. so here are a few memorable pics to help y'all relive the experience !!

Arun Sarkar in "The Big Fight" , he eventually came 1st

The 'Quizzuri' , during the prelims.. We eventually came 3rd....

A drink of IcedTea , after a long day ( day 1 )

Bhargavi , putting her skills to good use in Twisted Transistor... She went on to come 1st !

The adzap heores... 'thinking'...

LN , the man with the prizes... ( gilli n govind know why.. lol )

btw , he's the one who gave us the first picture !

just so my position is clear , the author assumes NO responsibility for the 'after-effects' (if any) of this post... 'ownership' of the video exists only for editing it. please view/share this post responsibly..

A Sporting Nation ? Hardly ...

2006-10-04T09:22:00.000+05:30

The 2004 Olympics ended up being like most olympics over the past century. Much awaited, hyped up, athletes from all over the world convening in one city, and ofcourse, abysmal failure for India. India won just ONE silver medal, that too won by a man of the military. In fact, the town of Saratoga in California, U.S. , 4 square miles and home to only 30,000 came out of the Olympics with 2 medals (a bronze in wrestling and gold in beach volleyball) beating our nation of more than 1 billion people!!

Lets not be easy on ourselves. The word "India" is the antonym of the term "Sports Leader." The Indian government continues to perpetuate the mistake of spending most of its money for sports on cricket. Don't get me wrong; cricket is an extremely exciting sport and should continue to be important in India. However, a balance is required, a balance that is severely lacking today. Money is poured into cricket while countless other sports, including our national sport, field hockey, are left without sufficient funding for adequate training, programs, or development.

This shows in our pathetic performances at Olympics. We should learn from other nations such as the United States that diversify the sports that are given attention and maintain a healthy balance. While we believe that we are competing with China in terms of our economy and industry, we clearly fall far behind in sports as even such a communist nation manages to promote athletes in its country far better than we do.

The fact is that professional cricket players continue to live lavish lives while even the best soccer players or field hockey players do not receive due recognition. Action needs to be taken to harness the skill within the youth of our nation, regardless of which sport they play, and hone these abilities, such that they can be presented on an international platform rather than allow such talented individuals to go to waste.

Perhaps the action could be a 2 plank legislative move. First, to provide more funding toward developing the interest in Olympic sports within the nation, whether this takes money away from cricket or not. Second, to create more organizations and committees in charge of creating teams for such sports and organizing proper coaching as well as facilities. These committees would use the allotted funding provided in the first plank.

Besides legislative action, the government could also make an ernest effort to create awareness and encourage interest in such sports in schools. Such encouragement must be given in order to make the careers of potentially failing athletes succeed. For example, the Kenyan president offered financial benefits as well as a large house to any Kenyan athlete that won a medal in the Olympics of 2004.

It is imperative that the Indian government learns from such examples and works on its own inadequacies. The matter needs to be taken into firm hands and dealt with, otherwise the talent in our nation will be lost to history.

EXAMS ! Imperative or Out-dated ??

2006-10-03T01:48:00.000+05:30

In our constantly changing world, it is imperative that we reconsider some of the norms of society. Day in and day out we live by mundane and constant schedules which rarely change. Perhaps it is about time that we realize that understand the true significance of our lives.

With all due respect , teachers , school is not the best way to spend ones life. An alternative for education must be found soon. What is the point in improving our lives technologically while the spiritual and emotional aspects of our being. To prove the point of how we spend inordinate and even unproportional time in the classroom, let us do some calculations:

An average school day is roughly seven hours. Five days a week makes for 35 hours in school. What with about 20 weeks gone into holidays (including weekends), we spend 35 multiplied by (52-20) OR in other words, 1,120 hours of our LIFE spent in this enclosure. (If you would like to calculate how many seconds we spend in a classroom, proceed to multiply 1120 by 3600).

Ladies and gentlemen, this is like a thorn in the side of ones mind. A constantly nagging pain that will never allow the body to rest, knowing that it can relax. Unfotunately, a corruption in society has allowed teachers to believe that their sole purpose is to make students suffer...suffer the pain of work....everpresent projects, tests, homework, tests, and please, let us not forget TESTS. In case you did not hear me, let me reiterate....TESTS. Clearly, our education system needs to be revamped. Do you truly believe in our political system and IF you do agree with me that our politics are infiltrated by corrupt creatures, then why is it that we perpetuate the mistakes they make, aka , school?

I hope this is sincerely given thought. Wouldn't the world be a better place if students were allowed to relax at home, study at will, and therefore carve their own future for themselves? Thus we would also be weeding out competition but that is for another article. But seriously, with students truly deciding their own fate, some will succeed and some won't. For those with the will power, they will thrive and plow ahead.

Those left behind...well, they deserve it.

just so you know , this was written in opposition to the recently imposed schedule of cycle tests..

Love - A Mystical Science ...

2006-10-02T11:10:00.000+05:30

To be madly in love could be exactly that - madness. The term 'lovesick' , is surprisingly accurate , according to a new study by the National Geographic. People experiencing romantic love , it turns out , have a chemical profile in their brains similar to that of people who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Love thus seems to blur the line between mental health and psychopathology.

Still , we can't resist the siren's song , and science has an explanation for that too. Love , it seems , lights up certain areas of the brain that provoke hyperactivity , recklesness and exhileration. That's why spellbound lovers stay up all night to watch the sun rise , take extraordinary risks to see each other , or as Britain's King Edward VIII did , throw a whole country aside for "the woman I love". In short , love can be dangerous.

A counterweight to the heavy sorrows of the world , love is a joyful part of life. Science can explain how love affects the brain - but not the mystery of how it affects the heart.

Presenting Shamu !

2006-09-26T21:23:00.000+05:30

Yup ! You got that right.. the world-famous killer whale , at his home in SeaWorld , Orlando , FL.

That is one performance that you simply CANNOT miss ! In an arena , with over 7000 people , are these 3 HUGE killer whales , named Shamu 1 , 2 and 3... Guess you remember them from Animal Planet..

The performance itself is pretty amazing... they mite appear HUGE and dangerous , but , according to their trainers , they're 'gentlemen' at heart... infact , they're quite mischeivous as well , splashing water on the audience every once in a while ( its quite a different story that they leave the stands looking like a mini-ocean ! )..

In short , a MUST VISIT if you're in Orlando... !

Lage Raho Munnabhai - a MUST WATCH !!

2006-09-25T18:52:00.000+05:30

CAST

Sanjay Dutt
Arshad Warsi

Vidya Balan

Boman Irani

Diya Mirza

Abhishek Bachchan

I take back my words from my previous post.. there is one other film , apart from Crash , which can have an impact on your life... yup , I'm talking about the latest smash hit , Lage Raho Munnabhai.

The cast remains the same , and the comic timing of the lead actors is nothing short of brilliant ! But thats not what I'm going to talk about here. You must have read or seen on TV , reviews of the film , which say that the movie brings to life the teachings of the Mahatma. Well , it doesn't stop there. It actually manages to 'change' your line of thinking... something that a very few movies , and i mean , a very few movies have managed to date.

Like the first movie , this one too has a deep message. The first one showed how one can fix everything ( well , almost everything ) with a little love and compassion. This one is all about speaking the truth , and living by the forgotten ideals of the Mahatma. AND , most importantly , it also talks about the dilemma most commonly faced by most before coming out with the truth... but it also shows the positive impact of speaking the truth....

The underlying message ? It's simple... just speak the truth and the circumstances will get fixed themselves... and if you're worrying whether the other person will forgive you ? Well , the movie answers that question as well.

I don't really have much else to say... the movie will speak for itself !

What's NASA upto ??

2006-09-24T21:25:00.000+05:30

Hurrah ! STS-115 is back home once again ! What with all the technical issues that plagued Atlantis' latest flight to the ISS , well , alls well that ends well I guess !

But this lates bit of news is kinda worrying... NASA just announced plans of the new 'shuttle' that is all set to replace the ageing ones , come 2010 or later ( because , apparently , the new versions are 'too small' to carry all the cargo required (!!!!) ). All thats fine , because , you and me thought that these 25 year old shuttles with ANCIENT computer systems and stuff falling off will probably be replaced by newer versions of similar craft.. but NO ! NASA is going in for a design by Lockheed Martin , called the CEV ( Crew Exploration Vehicle ). The rationale behind it is that the new design would have a minimum amount of 'protrusions' , such as wings , which bear maximum stress during take-off and re-entry.

Well.... yeah , this design is like the Apollo Spacecraft which took man to the moon... and incidentally , far from releasing specifics about the Mars Mission , NASA 'promises' that this craft will take us 'back to the moon' in 15 years. WHAT ??!?!?! It took us just 10 years to start from scratch n land on the moon !!

Guys , WHAT were you thinking when you made that press release ??

Crash - A masterpiece on film

2006-09-22T21:35:00.000+05:30

CAST

Sandra Bullock

Matt Dillon

Don Cheadle

Brendan Fraser

Larenz Tate

Ludacris

Micheal Pena

Trailer : http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/crash/large.html

Have you ever watched a movie that has you thinking about what you saw , long after you left the theatre ? Well , this year's Oscar-Winning movie , Crash , does just that. It tells interlocking stories of whites, blacks, Latinos, Koreans, Iranians, cops and criminals, the rich and the poor, the powerful and powerless, all defined in one way or another by racism. All are victims of it, and all are guilty of it. Sometimes, yes, they rise above it, although it is never that simple. Their negative impulses may be instinctive, their positive impulses may be dangerous, and who knows what the other person is thinking?

One thing that happens, again and again, is that peoples' assumptions prevent them from seeing the actual person standing before them. An Iranian is thought to be an Arab, although Iranians are Persian. Both the Iranian and the white wife of the district attorney believe a Mexican-American locksmith , Michael Pena , is a gang member and a crook, but he is a family man.

It shows the way we all leap to conclusions based on race -- yes, all of us, of all races, and however fair-minded we may try to be -- and we pay a price for that. If there is hope in the story, it comes because as the characters crash into one another, they learn things, mostly about themselves. Almost all of them are still alive at the end, and are better people because of what has happened to them. Not happier, not calmer, not even wiser, but better. Then there are those few who kill or get killed; racism has tragedy built in.

Not many films have the possibility of making their audiences better people.The movie contains hurt, coldness and cruelty, and not to forget , a dose of humour as well - but is it without hope? Not at all. Stand back and consider. All of these people, superficially so different, share the city and learn that they share similar fears and hopes. Until several hundred years ago, most people everywhere on earth never saw anybody who didn't look like them. They were not racist because, as far as they knew, there was only one race. You may have to look hard to see it, but "Crash" is a film about progress.

My verdict ? Take a look.. You'll never find a better movie !

War ... A necessary evil ?

2006-09-22T13:01:00.000+05:30

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists and the hopes of its children.

These words of Dwight David Eisenhower , the 34th President of the USA aptly describe the ill-effects of war .

War is a state of widespread conflict between states , organizations or relatively large groups of people , which is characterized by the use of violent , physical force by combatants on civilians. War seems as old as human society and certainly features prominently in the recorded history of state-cultures. But it is a complex issue. Throughout history war has been the source of serious moral questions. Although many ancient nations and some more modern ones viewed war as noble, concerns about the morality of war have gradually increased. Today war is almost unanimously seen as undesirable and morally problematic. Many now believe that wars should only be fought as a last resort.
War, in my opinion, is useless because of its damaging results . It does not decide who is right , but only who is left . It brings suffering and death not only to the conquered , but also to the conqueror. Under no circumstance is war moral, even in cases of self defense. There are just other ways to solve problems. Peace treaties are an easy way to end war. In a peace treaty, it is easy to settle the differences and come up with an agreement that both sides can decide on. That way the solution can be a compromise and problems will be fixed. Often it happens that one side can't agree , so they decide that war is the only solution. Wars are begun with many different reasons: Land conflicts, religious disagreements, and independence conflicts. In my own opinion, war can never be justifiable . In short , war is cruel - there is no use trying to reform it.
Besides , if everyone solved their problems with fighting , where would we be now? As the famous physicist Albert Einstein once said - " Peace cannot be achieved by force, only by understanding ." This , in fact , echoes the teachings of the father of our nation , Mahatma Gandhiji , who set an example to the world and succeeded in winning freedom for our mighty nation without engaging in armed conflict.

War in our time has become an anachronism. Whatever the case in the past, war in the future can serve no useful purpose. A war which became general, as any limited action might, would only result in the virtual destruction of mankind .Several nations today engage in armed conflict in the \'defence\' of freedom. But one must remember that a pre-emptive war in \'defense\' of freedom would surely destroy freedom, because one simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing mortal damage to the values one is trying to defend . Moreover , true patriots always talk of dying for their country and not killing for their country.

Most importantly , war results in large-scale destruction of a nation . Rebuilding and rehabilitation of the people are a responsibility of the invading nation , which puts a further strain on its finances , diverting funds from development efforts and other nobler causes like education and health-care . War is immoral for these reasons . There is just no excuse for human torture , suffering and death.

As John Lennon puts it , " War is over , if you want it."

T'day 2006 ...

2006-09-22T12:25:00.000+05:30

Well , it's finally upon us ! ( though this is a liiitle late )
All those years when we watched our seniors all dressed up and acting as teachers.. well , it's a great experience , one that I can't really describe in words !

Sept. 6th , 2006 was the day we celebrated Teacher's Day ( coz well , 5th was a holiday for Onam ). All the days before , were spent in endless dance practices.. or treks thru Parrys to ensure that the mementoes for the teachers were all ready.. it was almost as if we were waiting for Teacher's Day to get over !

The day was great fun ! I guess the biggest excitement was to watch all my friends walking into school in all their finery.. ( though i have to say , some of them did look weird.. ! ).. once we were all in school , that was when the 'takeover' took place , with our SPL Priya doing the honours... she and the Cul Sec , Arun were the **ahem** 'principals for the day'.. lol ( look.. even Satya has his reservations about his 'replacements'.. )

Me , Ashwin ( aka Candy ) and Harsha were the Chemistry teacher ( Latha Ma'am)

The rest of the day was jus great ! What with all the autograph-hounds.... that was a weird experience , what with all these small kids running upto us 'teachers' , begging us to sign their notebooks !! ( my name's on the top-left corner of the right page.. )

But , getting to the highlight of the day , which was obviously the Fusion Dance , choreographed by Srishti.. which was a GRAND success , coz it had EVERYONE clapping !! ( btw this was when they were dancing for Hips Don't Lie )

After this ofcourse was the cake-cutting... MUCH awaited , for obvious reasons.. ! We had got 3 HUGE cakes... a total of 15kgs of chocolate and icing.. yuuuum !

as the day came to a close.. it was almost like we didn't want the day to end.. ! but i guess one of the best images of the day HAVE to be the one below... its our 'principal' doing his duty of patting Venkatraman on his back.. CVians will identify with the sentiment behind the image ;-)

Independence Day revisited

2006-09-22T12:21:00.000+05:30

India our motherland is one of the world's oldest and richestcivilizations.For much of it's history , India was not one nation butwas split into several small states ruled by warring kings andprinces.Powerful empires rose and fell , uniting these small statesfor varying lengths of time.The last of these was the British Empirein India which came to an end on 15 August 1947 with the creation ofthe independent Republic of India.From a history of wars andconquests,culturat achievements and a diversity of peoples and creedshas emerged a great nation.

India , or Bharat as it was called , has always been a land endowedwith vast riches and treasures in the form of flora,fauna and muchelse.Throughout history,foreign rulers from far-away places like Greece,Rome,Arabia and Europe had set their sights on India's vastriches and wanted to claim this golden land of ours for themselves.Making true what Julius Caesar had once said " I came,I saw and Iconquered " - This bore good for the Dutch,Portuguese,French andEnglish traders who came to India to establish business but soonsettled here on seeing the incredible riches and treasures. They tookadvantage of the disunity among rulers and pitted them against eachother. The last of them , the British , had come to stay.

Over the next 100 years , the British Empire gained control of almostthe whole country.They plundered every class of the Indian people andtaxed the peasants heavily.they forced the peasants to sell theirproduce to the Britishers themselves and paid thm paltry sums. Thus ,the British Merchants became the rulers of the Indian people.But all this was set to change.In the summer of 1915 , an Indian ,after hearing about the atrocities comitted by the British againstIndians returned home to his motherland.He was destined to be a greatleader of the India people.He was to teach them to fight for freedomin a way which was different from all such fights anywhere or at anytime in the past.This leader was to become the father of our country -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Gandhi was a wise man with noble principles and values.Among muchelse,he strongly believed that violence solved no problem.He told theIndians that opression should be resisted.He also taught them that alaw,if unjust,should be broken , but one should never try to escapepunishment.Millions of Indians joined Gandhi in his Satyagraha againstthe British and many of them like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad andJawaharlal Nehru went on to become great leaders in their own right.For the next 30 years , Gandhiji patiently set about teaching Indianshis great way of fighting without hating and winning without causingothers to suffer.Gandhiji started his Satyagraha by breaking theunjust Salt Law imposed by the British.He then headed the SwadeshiMovement which urged Indians to buy Indian goods only.Millions ofIndians set up public bonfires where foreign goods were burnt.Thebritish refused to give in and jailed millions of hissupporters.Gandhiji and his supporters too were unfazed and startedthe Non-Coopereation Movement.They defied every law imposed by theBritish with great vigour.Finally the British realised that theycould'nt continue to rule India by force any more.Gandhiji had madethem realize just how unjust they had been.The British Empire in India came to an end on 15 August 1947 when the British declared India afree country.

The midnight of 15 August 1947 was filled with the joyous cries ofVANDE MATARAM and JAI HIND as the people raised the new tricolor ofindependent India and screamed out to the world that they were proudto be Indians !!

15 August 2006 - exactly 61 years have passed since the night theIndian tricolor was first hoisted - and India has definetely come along way since then.Today,apart from being the world's largestdemocracy,India can also claim to have one of the world's mostwell-connected road,rail and postal network that links almost everyvillage , city and town ; and a rich cultural heritage second tonone.India has also taken a giant step forwad in the technological andindustrial sectors.Industrial majors like TATA and Reliance and multinationals in the IT sector like TCS,Wipro and Infosys are proof enough of this.Today , India is an emerging destination for IT and every move made by India is closely watched in every country inthe world !

India's freedom struggle is an exhibition of the courage,valour and unwavering unity which binds all Indians together. It was a struggle in which an unarmed people fought against and defeated an empire which had the most sophisticated weapon systems of that time , without firing a single bullet . The Indians won because they knew that they were not wrong and believed that injustice should not go unopposed , come what may. It has shown other nations the power of unity and has given us Indians just another reason to be proud of this mighty land that we call home.

JAI HIND !

How we came to be ...

2006-09-22T12:14:00.000+05:30

Welcome.And congratulations.I am glad you could make it.Getting here wasn't easy , I know.In fact , I suspect it was a little tougher thanyou realise !

To begin with , for you to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and curiously obliging manner tocreate you.It's an arrangement so specialized and particular that ithas never been tried before and will only exist this once.For the next many years ( I hope ! ) these tiny particles will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft , co-operative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience the supremely agreeable but generally under-appreciated state known as existence.

Why atoms take this trouble is a bit of a puzzle - being you is not agratifying experience at the atomic level.For all their devoted attention , your atoms don't actually care about you - indeed they don't even know that you are there.They don't even know that they are there ! Yet , somehow for the period of your existence , they will answer to a single rigid impulse : to keep you you.

The bad news is that atoms are fickle and their time of devotion is fleeting - fleeting indeed.Even a long human life adds up to onlyabout 650,000 hours.And when that modest milestone flashes into view ,your atoms will close you down and go off to be other things.And that's it for you.The average speicies on Earth lasts for only about 4 million years ,so if you wish to be around for billions of years , you must be asfickle as the atoms you are made of.You must be prepared to change everything about yourself - shape , size , colour , everything - and to do so repeatedly. So , at various periods over the last 3.8 billionyears , you have abhorred oxygen and then doted on it , grown fins and limbs , laid eggs , been sleek , been furry and a million things more.The tiniest deviation from any of these evolutionary imperitives and you might now be licking algae from cave walls or disgorging air through a blow-hole in the top of your head before diving 60 feet for a mouthful of delicious sandworms !

Not only have you been lucky enough to be attached since time immemorial to a favoured evolutionary line , but you have also been extremely - make that miracuosly - fortunate in your personal ancestory.Consider the fact that for the past 3.8 billion years , a period of time older than some of the earth's mountains , valleys andoceans , every one of your ancestors on both sides has been attractive enough to find a mate , healthy enough to reproduce and sufficientlyblessed by fate and circumstances to live long enough to do so.Not oneof your ancestors was squashed , devoured , drowned , starved ,untimely wounded or otherwise deflected from its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner atthe right moment to perpetuate the only possible sequence ofheriditary combinations that could result - eventually , astoundingly and all too briefly - in YOU !

welcome to my pad !

2006-09-17T08:07:00.000+05:30

Hey ! I realised that it was about time I got a blog for myself... so here it is ! About the name , sorry Bryan , I got it off yours , but it was just TOO good to pass by ! Hope to post something interesting on this soon enough !